@b_jonas why? Simple: if they keep this pace until the season finale, it means that I will be happy for about 3-4 weeks more after you already entered the hiatus

@b_jonas not bad, but it suffers from an funny/moralist dissonance.

Obviously, the episode was crafted so that in the end Rainbow was the one who made the mistake. This is fine and the message is still somehow clear.

But her parents behavior was overly exaggerated. If that was a "real world" story, or just a story in a "more serious" show many of the thing her parents did would be pretty insane. Musical door? Launching fireworks aimed at somepony? In another context, they would be the ones getting a scolding (at least).

Here, they just cling to the 4th wall, using the "rule of funny" to show that they are "over protective/supporting". The extreme behavior is "justified" and forgotten because it is just a device to tell a story.

Thinking of it, this has always been a thing in the show.

Think about the "brick in the sandwich" prank to Mr Cake, the whole Mare-Do-Well incident, Pinkie weird behavior in Filly Vanilly and so on.

Extreme behavior that would be unacceptable in real life are played for laugh in the episode. Somehow, this feels a little weird when you consider the expected market of the show - while adults have no problem to understand that Dash parents were just a bit over-protective and the intended plot is that Dash was taking them for granted, forgetting how lucky she was....

a younger watcher may have some problems in understanding why all the blame is on Dash when her parents launched a firework that almost hit her and another Wonderbolt during a public show (hint: try to go to a football match bringing a firework launcher and a bag of explosives, see if you can fool the police at the entrance with a line "I am just going to launch some fireworks at my son when she scores a point!")

that said... about the episode.

random thoughts.

a) For the first time, the Wonderbolt seems supportive and nice in helping Dash? Wow, this is an academy record!

b) Derpy eyes became the way they are now as she grew up. Also, one could say that the episode implies she became worst at flying as her eyes problems became more evident. This is somehow sad because it could be viewed as a proof that Derpy eyes aren't just some weird, funny eyes but an actual vision/eye issue

c) does the episode confirm that Scootaloo is indeed orphan?

@Derpy Or more. Currently the canadian TV is broadcasting two episodes per week. I don't know how long they'll keep that up.

And yes, that's why I said one per week is a nice pace.

@Derpy I don't think the episode is trying to say that the fault was only in Dash. Both the parents and the child had problems, but the episode focuses on the child and what she can do to cope, because it's not so easy to change her parents. This isn't an episode that tries to tell the parents how to be a good parents, but a lesson for children for how to cope with bad parents, because most children won't have perfect parents.

As for the specific details. Yes, the fireworks would be pretty stupid and dangerous in our world (as people have mentioned). I don't know how magical fireworks in the MLP world work. Yes, it was nice that the Wonderbolts were finally supportive.

"Derpy eyes aren't just some weird, funny eyes but an actual vision/eye issue" => That you can't have good 3d vision if your eyes turn that much apart is obvious; but I don't think that explains why she's so clumsy.

@Derpy And no, the episode was written carefully, it does not confirm she's an orphan. It does say that she doesn't get much support from her parents though, if she has parents.

It allows either that she's an orphan, or my idea that her parents are stuck in Cloudsdale, but Scoots had to move to the ground because Cloudsdale is unlivable for someone who can't fly.

@b_jonas The episode was carefully written so that while they do not state clearly that she is orphan, all the details are made so that the orphan headcanon is actually reinforced.

Third.... "Never had anyone to support me or to tell me I would succeed" (see point one)

Fourth: unless you state something like "the parent are on a secret mission on the opposite side of the planet" the most appropriate ending for the episode would have had Rainbow Dash bring Scoot parents to cheer her at the school presentation, not her parents.

The fact she had to bring Whistle/Hothoof after Scoot basically claimed that she would love her own parents to show some support.... seems to indicate that she couldn't have Scoot parents to come.

That obviously doesn't mean that the orphan Scootaloo thing is now canon, but they must be aware of the theory and seem to be working as to not disapprove it.

So, no confirmation but also no disapprove.

oh, and BTW.

@b_jonas Legend of Magic #1 showed Starswirl cutie mark.

@Derpy stars and a swirl. ok.

@b_jonas veeeeeery creative, right?

Anyway, it seems to me like this season deliberately tries to invoke a lot of family stuff. We've seen Shining Armor as a parent, Dash's parents, we'll probably learn about Applejack's parents, we've seen Rarity trying to act as a big sister again.

Oh, and we've seen an episode with Pinky and Maud too.

This may have started in S6.

Oh, and we'll see Steve's brother too.

By the way, when Scootaloo's dad opened Dash's room, without revealing it to viewers, and Scootaloo screamed like crazy, were you also hoping for the moment that the room would have a photo of Scootaloo or some other objects showing how much Dash is a fan of her?

Obviously we find out later in the episode why it doesn't have that: Dash probably never returned to her parents' house much since she moved to Ponyville and met Scoots.

But at that point of the episode I didn't know that yet.

@b_jonas nope, I was hoping for Dash secret stash of plushies and other "girly" stuff

@Derpy Hehe. That's a good guess too.

That said..... Cheerrilee said a line about the report containing a "moldy sandwich". Luckily, the other item probably was removed before the presentation.

@Derpy Hehe.

And that must be canon. Otherwise the episode would have ended on a picture of Dash chasing her parents while wielding a big wooden hammer.

I wonder how they preserved an apple for so long.

And whether the diaper is a clothes diaper or a disposable paper diaper.

@b_jonas I suppose that they must have bought A LOT of diapers. The one they gave to Scoot wasn't the one from before. If you look at the scene, you can see that the original is still there, so that must be a second one.

@Derpy Ah.

@b_jonas the apple seemed gold-colored. They probably gold-coated it.

So they preserved two diapers.

@Derpy Maybe... I'm not sure how that would work.

@b_jonas at least two. I expect that they preserved a full box of "Dashie favorite diapers brand"

Maybe it's not an actual apple, but a plastic apple molded from the original bitten apple.

@b_jonas they use rare gems to decorate dresses (and feed pets loyal assistants) , that apple was pure gold 18k

@Derpy Uh...

BTW, Dash had a tortoise poster.

She knew Fluttershy long before coming to Ponyville.

Fluttershy probably visited Dashie room.

Fluttershy saw that poster.

@Derpy Someone said that the poster was why Dash reacted so badly to the tortoise.

(Before Tank saved her that is.)

Anyway, who/what was the "Sea Pony Luna" toy on the shelves in Dashie's room?

@Derpy sea pony luna? I didn't notice that, let me check

There's a Luna toy on the shelf above her bed, but I don't think it's a seapony.

@b_jonas I seem to remember a mermaid tail on that toy

This isn't full quality, but I don't think it has a mermaid tail.